November Retail Sales Show Black Friday Was Even Better Than Expected

November retail sales are out and the numbers are solidifying first predictions that Black Friday would set records.

Costco continued to post break-neck same-store sales growth, up 9.0% on $7.1 billion of sales. The retailer saw its greatest strength from Texas, California and Midwestern markets. Costco said food, hardware and tires did exceptionally well during the quarter. However, it faced some difficulty in its television division as the number of units sold fell in the low single digits. That was offset by higher unit prices as Costco shifts its assortment to LED technologies, which sell at a premium.

Elsewhere in retail, Limited Brands also posted strong same-store growth, even as total net sales declined. That was due to its divestiture of apparel operations.